THE fate of the Holyrood Bird, a national treasure with an extraordinary history, is poised to be finally sealed.
The papal gift to Scotland, plundered more than four centuries ago by English troops and then seized back in the 1980s by Scottish nationalists, soon could be on public show north of the border.
A permanent loan agreement is being negotiated between the National Museums of Scotland and a parish church in England, the legal owner of the Dunkeld Lectern, as the magnificent Bible stand is properly known.
The positive development comes amid continuing problems for the new Scottish Parliament building.
Officials yesterday dismissed as ''risible'' claims that damage and repairs following flooding last week could add millions to the (pounds) 431m cost of the Holyrood complex. It was also unclear yesterday whether Tony Blair would attend its official opening in October.
A public consultation on the Dunkeld Lectern, through newspaper notices, is expected soon and if no objections are lodged it is believed that Church of England authorities would not stand in the way of the long-term loan agreement.
That would allow the phoenix-like brass reading desk to undergo further conservation work at the NMS in Edinburgh before going on display there.
The Herald revealed five years ago that the ''bird'' with its wings outstretched had mysteriously turned up in an Edinburgh arts centre after being missing for 15 years.
The lectern was made in Italy in 1498 and gifted to Scotland by Pope Alexander VI. It was accepted by the Bishop of Dunkeld and taken to Holyrood Abbey, where it remained until 1544, when an English army attacked Edinburgh. It was taken south to St Stephen's in St Albans, Hertfordshire.
A band of ''Scottish patriots'' reclaimed it in a Stone of Destiny-style raid on the church in 1984. It was believed they then hid it in a Highland grave, indicating that it would not re-emerge until a Scottish parliament had been established.
A spokeswoman for the parliament yesterday,confirmed that torrential rain had caused a drainage problem outside the perimeter of the complex, leading to a leak that flooded a basement office.
''There was some damage to fittings, such as the carpet, but this will not come anywhere near the thousands of pounds that has been talked of and the suggestion this could involve millions of pounds is risible,'' she said. ''There was no question of widespread flooding.''
It is unclear whether the prime minister will attend the building's official opening. A No 10 spokesman said that he was unable to confirm or deny a report that he would not be coming to Scotland that weekend.
Mr Blair missed the parliament's opening in 1999 because he was heavily involved in finalising the Good Friday Agreement. While that was understandable, if he stays away this time it will be seen by some as a snub.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article